The United Nations has defended its appeal for countries to continue funding the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) following criticism from the United States that donors should stop supporting the agency.
US Ambassador Jeff Bartos spoke at UNRWA's annual pledging conference in early July, accusing member states of repeating a failed approach and saying that the agency had become a "subsidiary of Hamas." Bartos urged governments to stop funding UNRWA schools in Gaza, which he accused of indoctrinating children in hatred of Jews and glorifying terrorism.
Bartos also cited allegations that UNRWA employees participated in the Hamas-led attack against Israel on October 7, 2023. He called on governments to choose between funding incitement, terrorism, and stagnation, or to fund the Board of Peace, a US-led body created to oversee transitional governance, reconstruction, and long-term development in Gaza.
UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric defended the agency's record and mandate, saying that UNRWA officials had taken "strong action" when presented with facts concerning possible infiltration by people aligned with terrorist organizations. Dujarric emphasized that the agency is part of the UN system and has a crucial role to play on the humanitarian front.
Several European governments, including the UK and France, have expressed their support for UNRWA, with the British Ambassador calling the agency "indispensable" to providing essential services to Palestinian refugees across Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan.
The funding dispute comes as UN Watch is demanding that UN Secretary-General António Guterres waive any immunity enjoyed by UNRWA's former Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, who is accused of ignoring repeated warnings about Hamas infiltration.
UN Watch has provided evidence to Lazzarini and his administration involving teachers, school principals, union leaders, and other employees who allegedly supported or were affiliated with Hamas and other terrorist groups. The organization is calling for an independent criminal investigation and believes that waiving Lazzarini's immunity would allow prosecutors to test the evidence.
The UN has not commented directly on UN Watch's request, but has stated that it has always cooperated with investigations by national authorities. The agency is part of a broader system, and the Security Council resolution supporting the Board of Peace also calls on the United Nations to deliver humanitarian assistance and lead humanitarian activities in Gaza.
